Pub history

The Beehive

This was the world’s first-ever circular terminal. The striking Art Deco-style building opened in 1936. It had lots of novel features, including telescopic canopies, radiating out to the aircraft. There was also a 130-metre-long tunnel linking the airport to the new railway station, so that passengers could walk from the train to the plane and remain undercover. The Beehive was in use until c1958, when the A23 was rerouted and it was cut off from the airport. The building was ‘listed’ in 1996 and is now a ‘business centre’.